Before the 2002 season, it had been 31 years since a player last notched his 600th home run.Things have changed.
Henry Aaron reached the 600 plateau in 1971 two years after Willie Mays. Before Mays, you would have to go back 38 more years, to Babe Ruth in 1931, to find another player who hit the magic number.
In a span of 71 years, only three players pulled the feat.
By the end of this season, that number will likely have doubled in the last half-decade.
Barry Bonds hit his 600th home run in 2002. This week, Sammy Sosa hit his. And Ken Griffey Jr., as of June 23rd, needs only 18 more homers to join the group.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Bonds, Sosa, and Griffey don't have much in common. They can all hit home runs, and two of them have been linked to steroids. Other than that, they couldn't be more different.
Bonds, of course, is the controversy-plagued malcontent whose hat size went from a six to an eight in five years. Sosa is the humble, lovable guy who skips out of the batter's box after every big fly—but he too has been linked with steroids, and was caught with a corked bat in 2003. Finally, there's Griffey: a player who always has a smile on his face and who, by the look of him, will never be accused of using performance-enhancers.
Of the three, only Griffey is above suspicion and reproach. Which begs the question: Is the 600-homer mark now tainted?
Before Sosa blasted his 600th, one could make the case that it was not. Now, though, fans may not look at the 600 club quite like they used to.
The ambivalence was obvious last week when the media covered Sosa's big day as if it were the WNBA All-Star Game. Granted, Bonds' pursuit of 755 helped to dull the anticipation, but the lack of interest was still shocking.
Does this mean that the men who really control baseball—the writers—believe that 600 isn't what it was? Maybe. Again, Bonds may be an aggravating factor here, because he is, for lack of a better word, hated. Time will tell, I guess.
The names Ruth, Aaron, and Mays will live on into eternity. As for Bonds and Sosa?
Let's see if they live past the age of 50.
comments (6) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 year ago
Maybe the best article i have ever read.
about 1 year ago
I think we should tip our hats to Bonds, Sosa and Griffey for their accomplishments, regardless of what we think of them as people. Bonds and Sosa obviously juiced up, but a lot of other players during this period of baseball history used roids, yet these three (along with McGwire) stood out as the best sluggers of the time. Extra props to Griffey for accomplishing this feat without the help of performance enhancing drugs when all is said and done, he may be thought of as the best homerun hitter of this generation.
This doesn't mean that I'm about to say that Sammy Sosa is a comparable player to Willie Mays they are a world apart and we should not forget that. But we can still all agree that Sammy Sosa is one of the best 3 or 4 players from this generation which admittedly will probably go down as the "steroid generation."
Still, it's important to compare the greats of this era to their peers. Sosa hit 60 dingers in three out of four consecutive seasons no other player of this era accomplished that historic feat, no matter how many roids they took.
That being said, the 600 homer club clearly isn't what it used to be. As Andrew points out, three players slugged their way into the club in 71 years, yet by the end of this season we'll have three new members in a span of five years. Within the next five years, we could have as many as 9 total members (Arod's a lock, and Manny and Thome may have a shot).
My thoughts are that the 600 homer club will essentially become what the 500 homer club used to be merely a guaranteed entrance into the HOF. This seems to be a decently fair way of leveling the playing field when comparing players of this generation who clearly juiced to the players of the past.
about 1 year ago
this is SOOO GOODO WOOOO
about 1 year ago
cal i think were looking at the next michael holley right htere
about 1 year ago
This is nice little piece of writing, Andrew. Turns of phrase like "controversy plagued malcontent" can attest to that. So let's ignore the punctuation and grammar deficient comments so far.
What I'd like to see, though, is more analysis.
You're right: 600 just doesn't seem that great anymore. Bonds and Griffey have certainly earned it, as the former would have reached the plateau even without roids, and the latter would have far surpassed it had he not gotten hurt so often.
But Sosa? Please. The fact that a joke player like Sammy Sosa has 600 home runs is almost too much to take. The attitude of most baseball fans, I think, is to act like it didn't even happen.
With A-Rod, possibly Manny Ramirez and Albert Pujols to follow into the 600 club, its no longer an elite fraternity, but just another benchmark.
So the question is, with 600 home runs now losing its luster, what is the number that will take its place? 500/3000 is still mightily impressive, and 700 home runs might just take the cake. 300 wins is obviously a number that is getting to mean more and more.
This is a big question right now, and you've definitely struck a nerve, Andrew, but at the same time you're just scratching the surface.
So, you tell me, what's the new hallowed number in baseball?
about 1 year ago
Sosa is not at all a humble, lovable guy. He is among the most selfish baseball players in history, both on and off the field, a coward, and a liar. Sosa's career revolves entirely around HRs, unlike Bonds or Griffey who were outstanding fielders and have great plate discipline. Sosa was a pathetic fielder. He's 2nd on the all-time striking out list - by a long-shot - and if I had a dime for every game he ended whiffing on a slider at some point in the 9th inning I'd have about $20. Take for instance the last game in 2004 when he threw a fit and stormed out of Wrigley right after the game started because he wasn't in the starting lineup, and proceeded to lie about staying until the 7th inning. Or when he corked his bat "for the fans". Right...how loveable. What that really marked was the beginning of his embarrassment to MLB. Later, after his hundreds of wide-smiled interviews in clear English when he was roided out of his mind and hitting bombs out of Miller Park, he forgot how to talk and hear (possibly read and write as well) when confronted with the big roids questions from Congress. He blew up on Rick Riley for questioning roids. He was also involved in some sketchy dealings with his family using his "charitable" funds.
Hopping out of the batter's box every time he hits the ball over 300 ft. is hilarious when the result is a near warning track fly out.
A-Rod, Manny, and Pujols ARE elite company and are in no way diluting the 600 club or weakening its integrity. Those guys are great hitters, and have never skipped a beat in their careers. Are the doors of the 600 club supposed to be closed forever? You would expect far more to join with the number of players now, their workout regimes (outside of roids and even protein buckets), and the closer fences. You can even make an argument for diluted pitching talent across so many teams. I would guess that the bats and balls are in their favor as well.
The big media yawn over Sosa's personal triumph was well-deserving. I think it's unfortunate that a guy may be an automatic entrance into the Hall of Fame for the 600 club or even 500 club. He had a few great seasons, but never made it to the World Series in 17 or 18 seasons. He thrilled Cubs fans for 10 years (not difficult) and forced thousands of tired Rangers fans to get off their asses when he cracked 600. He had a cute kiss and chest pound that worked magic when he was juiced. Now, nobody cares about Sosa. They know he's a joke. He's lucky he is only pushed aside and not ridiculed like Bonds.
write a new comment